Dormant Student Account from 5 years ago now in the red!

I urgently need assistance with an account (Student Achiever Current Account) that went into dormant status in 2012, and now has a negative balance owing of R1600.

Background of the issue: On 5 December 2012, my balance was R2,67. This balance stayed like this until 5 April 2013, where there was a deposit and withdrawal. After this transaction, the balance remained at R13,67 from 5 April 2013 until 19 August 2017 – 4 years and 4 months. This account, over this period of dormancy, was still listed as a Student Achiever Current Account – No funds were going into or out of this account. In fact, I no longer even had a card anymore, nor did I make use of internet banking / app, as I had switched to FNB (following a terrible experience with Standard Bank in early 2012).

Suddenly in September 2017, there is a “Monthly Management Fee” being app**** to my account. Yet I have not touched this account since April 2013 – Almost 5 years ago?! The address on the statement had also been updated to my latest address, leading me to believe that when I submitted my bond applications for a home I was interested in purchasing (an Ooba application submitted to all major banks on my behalf), this information was taken from my application and app**** to an account that has been dormant for 5 years?

To date, this account now has almost R1600 owing, which has come about due to monthly management fee, fees for an account in excess, and interest. The account is STILL listed as a Student Achiever Current Account.

How is this possible after an account has been dormant for almost 5 years? What I also find interesting is that your website states the following with regards to Student Achiever Accounts: “If you do not operate on your current account for 45 consecutive days, then your account shall be flagged as semi-dormant and if you still fail to operate your account for a further period of 45 consecutive days then your account shall be deemed dormant, irrespective of the amount of the balance therein. We shall endeavour to contact you telephonically and shall notify you in writing of the dormant status of your account. If despite notification, you still fail to operate your account and the balance thereon is less than one month’s fees, we shall close your account after a period of 28 days”.

Surely with only R2,67 in my account, the account not being used for 5 months (December 2012 to April 2012), this account should have been closed? And again, from September 2017, once my details were updated and charges started to accrue, I was not contacted in any way (despite Standard Bank having all my latest details, seemingly taken off a bond application). My email address was also an old email (therefore I only recently became aware of this issue and was shocked to see the amount I now owe). I have no record of the visit I made to Sandton City Standard Bank in 2012 when I did indeed try to close the account but was told I need a certified copy of ID, proof of new bank account, as well as proof of residence (which I could not get as I had since moved to a new city) – Whoever I spoke to at the time refused to help me close the account, because of this R2,67 I still had in the account.

Note I have since visited a Standard Bank branch (Chilli Lane, on 18 Aug) to try to resolve this issue, where I was again offered no assistance on this matter, as I am not willing to pay for an account that was mismanaged, especially since the account itself cannot be active, as there are no transactions running through it since April 2013.

I please need this issue urgently resolved, as I am unable to pay this amount, especially since I have not made use of this account at all.